South Africa: Public Works ‘Working’ On Evicting Folks Occupying Land On the Fort

Cape City mayor involved concerning the lack of a transparent timeline

• Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Sihle Zikalala has introduced the division’s intention to evict dozens of individuals occupying land surrounding the Fort of Good Hope within the Cape City metropolis centre.
• However Cape City’s mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is anxious concerning the division’s lack of clear timelines.
• The division has been strongly criticised by Members of Parliament for failing to keep up its properties.

An eviction order in opposition to dozens of individuals occupying land on the Fort of Good Hope in Cape City is being sought by the Division of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), which owns the land.

Throughout a website go to on Thursday, DPWI minister Sihle Zikalala mentioned his division was within the strategy of acquiring an eviction order.

“I’ve instructed our authorized workforce to work with velocity to make sure that the matter is addressed,” mentioned Zikalala.

The DPWI was earlier this month strongly criticised by Members of Parliament for permitting a greater than two-hectare prime property in Wynberg to turn into derelict and Illegally occupied.

The mismanagement of DPWI property “is a country-wide concern”, mentioned Zikalala on Thursday. “A variety of buildings have been illegally occupied. We’ll wish to make sure that we deliver again all state property,” he mentioned, including that some properties must “be launched” and the division must “work with NGOs and different companions”.

Throughout his go to on Thursday, Zikalala spoke to Fort of Good Hope CEO Calvyn Gilfellan who mentioned the variety of homeless individuals who had been dwelling on land simply exterior the citadel partitions had grown considerably in the course of the Covid lockdown.

Gilfellan mentioned the citadel land was enticing due to entry to water (the Fort is surrounded by a moat), and the financial alternatives town centre supplied. However he mentioned they had been dwelling in “sub-human” situations. “We’d like a human-centred resolution to this. Folks cannot stay like that,” he advised the minister.

Cape City Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis mentioned they’d been knowledgeable of the DPWI’s intention to hunt an eviction order however famous there have been no clear timelines.

Requested whether or not he nonetheless deliberate to hunt an eviction order in opposition to the occupiers of land on the Fort on behalf of the DPWI, successfully forcing their hand, as he threatened to do earlier this yr, Hill-Lewis mentioned the Metropolis would like DPWI take motion themselves. Nonetheless, he mentioned the Metropolis would act if there was additional delay.

“We won’t enable the Fort to proceed to be a website of city decay. The Metropolis’s concern stays the dearth of clear timeframes from Public Works, because the matter is pressing given the continued affect on companies, tourism, and most of the people within the neighborhood of the Fort.”

“The place should we go?”

Dwelling on the land surrounding the citadel, a person who solely gave his identify as Tendai, mentioned he’d be keen to maneuver right into a shelter if he had the choice.

Tendai mentioned he turned homeless after he was hit by a automotive and was not capable of work. “I used to be staying in Gugulethu and I used to be hit by a automotive and needed to go to hospital. Till now I am unable to work,” he mentioned.

One other man, who launched himself solely as Thobile, mentioned he was initially from Philippi however had been dwelling on the road for nearly 20 years.

He mentioned the issue with the shelters supplied by the Metropolis of Cape City was the varied guidelines corresponding to having to go away in the course of the day.

When requested about authorities eager to evict them from the land on the citadel, he mentioned it made him need “puke”. “They wish to chase us from right here. The place should we go? We’re human beings.”